


the world ender

by BananasofThorns



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Evil Wilbur Soot, Explosions, Family Dynamics, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Minecraft Mechanics, Temporary Character Death, Unhappy Ending, Unreliable Narrator, like it's minecraft so, like very briefly and it really isn't the focus but, of a sort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:16:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27684806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BananasofThorns/pseuds/BananasofThorns
Summary: He wakes up gasping for air. Sticks dig into his back and he groans, coughing up the phantom feeling of blood. Above him, spruce trees stretch towards the cold, washed-out sky. He should— he feels like he should know this place. Slowly he stands, pushing himself up with shaking arms. There are no landmarks around for miles, just the endless forest and the harsh blanket of sky.“Hello?”Wilbur dies. It's permanent, until it isn't.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson
Comments: 6
Kudos: 95





	the world ender

**Author's Note:**

> [title from The World Ender - Lord Huron]
> 
> god this fic gave me so much trouble but I really wanted to do something with the song bc it fits Wilbur's vibes very well. all in all, I'm mostly happy with how this turned out
> 
> enjoy!
> 
> (also, this is me making up for not putting Philza Minecraft in _only chains and broken bones_ lmao)

“I’d like to thank everyone for coming to this wonderful event,” Tubbo says.

Schlatt chuckles, and the sound of it reverberates through the small, carved out-room beneath the stage; Wilbur shudders. The single torch in the room flickers, plunging him briefly into darkness before the flame sputters back to life.

“You got anything else in the speech?” He can almost see Schlatt’s smile, cold and sharp and acidic. “Big guy?”

He holds his breath, hand hovering over the wooden button. Behind him, someone is breaking through the stone that blocks the passageway. _Come on,_ he thinks, breath hitching. _Come on._

Tubbo chuckles nervously. “Let the festival begin! Yeah—”

The final block breaks and Wilbur turns, eyes narrowed. Tommy stares at him, terrified and furious. His knuckles are white around the hilt of his sword.

“Wilbur, don’t—”

“Oh, Tommy,” he sighs, smiling. The button is warm beneath his palm. “You’re too late!”

“Wh—”

_[Tubbo blew up]_ _  
_ _[Jschlatt blew up]_ _  
_ _[Quackity blew up]_ _  
_ _[Niachu blew up]_ _  
_ _[Callahan blew up]_ _  
_ _[Ponk blew up]_ _  
_ _[Antfrost blew up]_ _  
_ _[Sam blew up]_ _  
_ _[Eret blew up]_

The force of the explosion throws Wilbur back and he stumbles, slamming into the wall beside Tommy. He groans, squinting against the sudden sunlight flooding the room. When his vision clears, everything is— it’s gone. There’s nothing left of Manberg - L’manberg - and Wilbur pushes himself up shakily, palms scraping against the rough stone wall.

Tommy snarls, pushing him back down. His head knocks against the wall; he hazily stares up at Tommy - at his right-hand man - and tries not to choke on laughter. When he coughs, blood paints his lips and splatters the stone beneath him.

Tommy swallows. “You killed Tubbo. You— you shouldn’t have done that.” His eyes flash. “You said he’d be safe! You— you shouldn’t have—”

_[Wilbur Soot was slain by Tommy Innit]_

+++

He wakes up gasping for air. Sticks dig into his back and he groans, coughing up the phantom feeling of blood. Above him, spruce trees stretch towards the cold, washed-out sky. He should— he feels like he should know this place. Slowly he stands, pushing himself up with shaking arms. There are no landmarks around for miles, just the endless forest and the harsh blanket of sky.

“Hello?”

The wind whispers through the trees, curling around his body like a caress. He turns slowly, like the walls of the world spawn will appear behind him, but—

There’s nothing. He laughs, helpless.

“Hello? Is anyone— _hello?”_

The trees rustle. In the distance, a twig snaps, and Wilbur spins to the sound, swaying when spots dance across his vision. He steps forward, squinting and pushing his hair out of his face.

There’s nothing.

Sighing, he turns back around, only to come face-to-face with an empty-smiled mask. He screams, clamping a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound.

“Holy _fuck,”_ he gasps, rubbing his eyes with his palms. “Don’t _do_ that, man!”

Dream tilts his head. “Wilbur? What are you doing all the way out here?”

“What— I _died,_ Dream, didn’t you see the message?” Wilbur runs a hand through his hair. “I blew everything up during Schlatt’s festival and then Tommy killed me and now I’m here. Why are _you_ in the middle of— hey, speaking of which, didn’t there used to be—”

“Wilbur, that was weeks ago,” Dream interrupts calmly.

The words die in Wilbur’s throat. “What?”

“The festival, the explosions, that was weeks ago,” Dream repeats, something like concern creeping into his voice. “That— everyone’s been looking for you, we couldn’t find you!”

_Oh._ Wilbur backs away, sinking to the ground against a towering spruce.

“I—”

“Nobody has any idea what happened, nobody in Pogtopia is saying anything.” Dream sits beside him, arms around his knees. “We thought you were dead for good.”

Wilbur swallows. “Tommy—?”

“He’s pissed,” Dream confirms. “And terrified; I don’t know what he did to you, but he definitely didn’t mean for _this_ \- whatever it is - to happen.”

Wilbur laughs weakly, leaning his head against the rough bark of the tree.

“I blew up his country,” he says, and then he’s crying. “I blew up his country and I killed his best friend, I thought— I thought he’d be _glad_ I was gone!”

Dream hums. “I think...I don’t think he meant for this to happen, but I’m not...I don’t know if I would say that he regrets it.”

Bitter resignation settles in Wilbur’s gut. He’s not that surprised, really, but...he had hoped. That Tommy wouldn’t hate him. It was foolish, but—

It doesn’t matter.

He sighs. “So what now? I destroyed L’manberg and Pogopia will never let me back, I have nowhere to go—”

“I mean, you could come with me.”

Wilbur stares. Dream is turned away, watching the forest, and a corner of his smirk is visible between his hood and the edge of his mask.

“What?”

He shrugs. “I’m being serious! Look,” he turns, the dead eyes of the mask staring Wilbur down. “They ruined your life; Tommy, even if he didn’t mean to, stole _weeks_ from you. We could, I don’t know—”

“I want to destroy them,” Wilbur murmurs, the taste of blood and ash on his tongue. “I want them gone, Dream, I want— I want them _dead._ Pogtopia, Schlatt, all of it. I want— _fuck._ You’ll help me, right? Dream?”

“Of course.” 

There’s a grin in Dream’s voice as he stands, holding out a hand. Wilbur takes it, pulling himself to his feet and ignoring the way his vision swims. 

When he smiles, it’s deadly.

+++

Tommy first hears the singing on the third week of Wilbur’s disappearance. The hauntingly familiar guitar chords creep through Pogtopia during a strategy meeting and he cuts himself off mid-sentence, spinning around.

“Wilbur?”

Tubbo and Niki exchange a look. Tubbo opens his mouth to say something but Tommy shushes him, rushing out of the room in search of where the singing is coming from.

_“Wasting your time / you’re wasting mine”_

The low, mournful song echoes through the ravine. It never gets louder or quieter, and Tommy swallows, rubbing at the sudden goosebumps on his arm.

“Wilbur?” He calls desperately. “Wilbur, what the f— where are you?”

“Tommy, what—?”

Niki and Tubbo are staring at him, wide-eyed and wary; behind them, Techno watches with narrowed eyes. Tommy frowns.

“Can’t you hear it?”

Tubbo glances at Niki. “Hear what?”

“Listen!”

_“Your city gave me asthma / so that’s why I’m fucking leaving”_

A draft brushes Tommy’s neck and he shivers, spinning to squint into the shadows. Nothing. Niki gasps.

“Oh, Wil....”

“You— I heard that,” Tubbo says. “What...Wilbur?”

There’s no response, but the guitar continues. Tommy runs a hand through his hair and laughs; no one comments when it comes out far too strained and high-pitched. Techno frowns.

“What the hell are you guys on about?”

“You don’t—” Tommy exchanges a look with the others. “You don’t hear that, Technoblade?”

Techno blinks. “Hear what?”

_“Shout at the wall / ‘Cause the walls don’t fucking love you”_

“Wilbur! He’s singing! Can’t you—”

“No. Wilbur is gone, Tommy,” Techno says, almost gentle. Tommy frowns. “You killed him.”

“He’s not! He’s not. Right?”

Niki nods. “We just haven’t found him yet.”

_“There’s a reason...they...fail.”_

The music fades away.

+++

Wilbur places the last block of TNT in Tommy and Tubbo’s room, between their beds, and then steps back so Dream can connect the redstone. He exhales shakily, craning his head back to follow the redstone trails up Pogtopia’s walls and into the shadows. When he looks back down, Dream steps over and presses a flint and steel into his hand.

“You ready?”

“Yeah.” Wilbur sighs, breathing through the leaden smoke in his lungs. “Yeah, just— I want to see their faces. One last time.”

Dream nods. “Of course,” he says, almost wistfully. “Yeah, no problem.”

And so they wait. 

Dream settles on the floor to sharpen his axe and Wilbur sits beside him, sliding the flint and steel together to watch the sparks. He hums under his breath, an old song he only vaguely remembers composing. Dream joins in once he gets a feel for the tune. Wilbur smiles, something like the ghost of contentment settling in his chest, and changes up the rhythm just to see Dream stumble.

Dream wheezes, half-heartedly kicking Wilbur’s ankle. “You’re such an idiot.”

The entrance to Pogtopia opens before Wilbur can answer. Tommy’s voice, chattering excitedly, echoes down into the ravine. Tubbo says something, and then Niki adds on, and then—

“I’ll see what I can do,” Phil says. Wilbur’s heart freezes in his throat. “I only just got here, though, so—”

Tommy laughs. “That’s alright, big man, we’ll get you kitted out. If anyone can find him, it’s you!”

Wilbur stands, tucking the flint and steel away with shaking fingers. He hardly breathes as Tommy rounds the final step, Tubbo and Niki at his heels. Behind them, wings closed tight to fit in the small space, is—

“Phil?”

Tommy trips, nearly falling off the path before Tubbo pulls him back. Niki freezes, eyes going wide. Vaguely, Wilbur registers Dream standing to join his side, but all he can see is Phil. His dad looks almost the exact same as when Wilbur had left him; his hair is a little longer, maybe, and he’s not wearing any of his armor, but...it’s him. It’s really him.

Tommy breaks the stunned silence first, scrambling down the pathways until he’s standing opposite Wilbur at the bottom of the ravine. Niki and Tubbo join him and Wilbur forces himself to keep his eyes trained on Tommy’s face.

“Wilbur? What the— where have you been, man? It’s been weeks!”

He sounds...he sounds _relieved,_ and all the joy drains from Wilbur’s body. He scowls.

“You killed me, Tommy.”

Just like that, Tommy’s face closes off. “You blew up L’manberg, Wilbur! You killed _everyone_ , I think I was justified in that!”

In his pockets, Wilbur’s hand clenches tight around the flint and steel. 

“I lost _weeks,”_ he shouts, suddenly furious, “of my life, Tommy. _Weeks._ Because of you.”

Niki frowns. “Wil, what—”

“Oh my god,” Phil mutters, loud in the ravine’s acoustics, and Wilbur looks up to see him staring at the redstone lines. “Guys, move—”

He scrambles down to the bottom of the ravine, pushing the others back. His wings spread wide, shielding them from Wilbur’s view. Tommy curses.

“What the shit, Philza,” he starts. Phil shushes him.

“They rigged Pogtopia,” he explains lowly.

“What? Wil wouldn’t do that, Phil, I—” Niki says, and Wilbur’s heart aches.

“They did,” Tubbo interrupts, voice shaky. Behind Phil’s wing, Wilbur sees him point up. “Look.”

“Wilbur, listen to me,” Phil says. “You don’t have to do this. We can— I don’t know why you’ve done this, or why you think it’s necessary, but you don’t...we can work it out, Wil.”

Wilbur laughs, bitter. “I woke up two days ago in the woods, thousands of miles from _everything._ I was dead for _weeks,_ Phil, and I would’ve been lost forever if Dream hadn’t somehow found me! And you know who did that, Phil? You know who did that to me?”

“Who.”

“Tommy. He ruined - ruins - _everything_ , Phil! Not just this. Not just me.” Wilbur laughs, running a hand over his face.

“I didn’t—” Tommy starts to protest.

“Shut _up_ , Tommy,” Wilbur snaps. The ravine goes silent.

He sighs. “...Phil?”

“Yeah?”

“Are— were you proud? Of me?”

Phil smiles, tired and soft. “Of course, Wil. Of course I am.”

Wilbur wipes away the tears that have started to streak down his face. His knees feel weak, and it’s only Dream’s hand on his shoulder that keeps him from collapsing. Niki and Tommy shout when he pulls the flint and steel from his pocket, but Phil just continues to smile. He looks so old, suddenly.

Wilbur grins, broken. 

“It was never meant to be.”

He strikes the flame and lets it catch on the trail of redstone beneath his feet. The fuse travels quickly and Phil arcs his wings, curling them around himself and the others. _We won’t make it out of this,_ Wilbur realizes suddenly, spinning and digging his fingers into Dream’s cloak.

“Dream,” he gasps, “Dream, I don’t want to die.”

Dream curls his hands gently around Wilbur’s wrists. “We won’t,” he promises. “Trust me.”

The first stack of TNT lights. Wilbur winces, squeezing his eyes shut.

“But—”

_[Philza was blown up by Wilbur Soot]_ _  
_ _[Niachu was blown up by Wilbur Soot]_   
_[Tubbo was blown up by Wilbur Soot]_ _  
[Tommy Innit was blown up by Wilbur Soot]_

**Author's Note:**

> the song Niki, Tubbo, and Tommy hear is Wilbur's song Jubilee Line
> 
> thank you for reading! comments and kudos are greatly appreciated 💛


End file.
